"It's always used in a very derogatory way for describing people who are vital to Burnham-On-Sea's economy," Ms Parkin told a council meeting on Monday.

"Tourists are the life blood for many businesses here and we should be welcoming them with open arms and encouraging them to visit, not calling them this out-dated term."

She said she made the comments to support a bid by Burnham-On-Sea's council to become the most coach-friendly town in Britain.

"Think of little old Burnham-on-Sea and then think of Cardiff, London and Birmingham, with massive investments in tourism," she said. "Think Weston-super-Mare, with its huge new pier, and ours, the shortest pier in Britain. The comparison is gigantic, like David and Goliath, and our little David needs all the help it can get."

According to the Oxford Dictionary a “grockle” is an informal, slightly derogatory term for a “holidaymaker, especially one visiting a resort in Devon or Cornwall”. As an outsider in Cornwall, you are also in danger of being called an “emmet”.

British locals are not the only ones who sometimes like to differentiate themselves from visitors. In South America, walk down the street as a foreigner and you may be greeted as a “gringo”, while in Japan you could be referred to as a “gaijin”. In Thailand tourists are often called “farang” and in India, “farangi”.